The Dubai-based cricket franchise has become the Alliance’s 133rd signatory following its 2026 Guyana Biodiversity Campaign, which used professional cricket to connect communities with Guyana’s natural environment. Membership was formally recognised in July by Guyana’s President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali.

Led by the Government of Guyana, the GBA brings together governments, businesses, Indigenous Peoples, scientists, academia and civil society to support biodiversity protection and restoration, including the global ambition to conserve at least 30% of the world’s land and oceans by 2030.

Turning awareness into action

The Vipers’ campaign demonstrates how the reach and profile of sport can be converted into measurable activity.

Delivered with Nature Wave and supported by the Guyana Tourism Authority, the programme took cricket-led citizen science and nature education into parks, schools and cricket clubs. Players participated directly, helping make biodiversity more accessible to audiences beyond the traditional environmental community.
Initial results recorded 1,604 biodiversity observations across 606 species, with more than 201 people participating in sessions. The programme generated an estimated GYD8.66 million in social value, while campaign content attracted 113,000 views.

Phil Oliver, CEO of Desert Vipers, said:

“We are thrilled to have become the first sports organisation to join the Global Biodiversity Alliance… We aim to use our influence as a sports organisation to positively impact the communities we serve, and our planet.”

Building a sustainability platform

The initiative is not an isolated campaign. The Vipers are Dubai’s first signatory to the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework and cricket’s first signatory to the IUCN-backed Sports for Nature Framework.

Its Season 4 People & Planet Report recorded a 27.2% reduction in carbon footprint and a 77.6% reduction in plastic footprint compared with Season 1. Community programmes engaged 17,147 people and generated AED13.74 million in social impact value.

The Global Biodiversity Alliance Secretariat highlighted the opportunity this creates:

“Sport has a unique ability to inspire, connect and mobilise millions of people, particularly young people, around shared values and positive action.”

Profile with purpose

That combination of sustainability, purpose and communication is increasingly reflected in the Vipers’ position within the GSS SPI Index.

Ranked 70th globally with a Purpose Starter (C) SPI Rating, the Desert Vipers are currently the leading sports club in the Middle East within the Index. Significantly, they are also ranked in the Top 10 of the GSS Global Profile Pillar Index, demonstrating how effectively the organisation is communicating its sustainability and purpose agenda.

The challenge now is to translate that profile into continuing impact. As a GBA member, the Vipers plan to expand their cricket-led citizen science and nature programmes, share evidence and explore collaborations between sport, government, communities, science and business.

For a relatively young sporting organisation, the Vipers are demonstrating how profile can become a powerful platform for purpose – and how cricket can help bring biodiversity into the mainstream.